Traktor overcomes Lev

First period
The somewhat snail-paced first minutes of the game were quickly replaced by fireworks as visitors took the advantage. Vitaly Karamnov found Michal Řepík with a well-timed pass, and the latter gave Lev the early lead. A bit later on Glinkin and Popov tried to copy the maneuver they pulled off in the match against CSKA, but it was thwarted by Lev’s defense. Traktor was not upset for long as the home team gained the power play advantage. Kuznetsov had a couple of goal-scoring chances during these minutes, but Pöpperle outplayed Yevgeny on both exchanges. Soon Traktor tied the game – Panov pierced through the left side of the attacking zone and sent the puck right into the near corner of the net. However, the tied score was short-lived as the very next shift Erik Christensen put the puck away, instantaneously giving Lev the lead yet again. This game of seesaw continued for a while; Traktor looked better during the second half of the period, which resulted in a goal-scoring effort – Pöpperle passed the puck right on Kostitsyn’s stick, and Andrey was quick to take advantage. It should also be noted that it was Garnett that saved Traktor form more trouble in the first period.

Second period
Michael kept doing just that in the second period, and if anyone was to be thanked for the fact Traktor headed for a second break with a 3:2 lead, it would be him. The opening moments of the period turned out to be somewhat hectic. Kuznetsov hit the bar, thus setting the tone for the period. Three minutes into the period Panov ran away for a rendezvous with Pöpperle, but didn’t put it away, though he managed to win the right for his team to take a penalty shot. Much to the chagrin of the fans, Antipov could not one up Pöpperle. Traktor created an avalanche of scoring chances during this particular part of the period, but luck was not on Traktor’s side (at least for a while). Middle-period Traktor got another chance at the power play which was not converted into goals. Later on it was Garnett’s superpowers that kept Traktor in the game. Michael was impenetrable, catching and turning aside anything that came close to his goal, including the shots taken by Lev’s players during their five-on-three power play. And then the old rule of sports that says ‘if you don’t beat, you get beaten up’ came into play. Suglobov’s penalty expired; the bad guy himself went on to try to take the puck away from Lev’s defender, which he did, and then passed it to the goal crease where the lone Antipov gave Traktor the lead for the first time in this match.

Third period
It has recently become customary that Traktor dominates the final periods of the matches. However, the visiting team could still tie the game, but Garnett made a splendid save and once again helped to boost Traktor’s confidence. Several minutes later Traktor had a three-on-one breakaway, but Kuznetsov lingered for a bit, and the potential goal-scoring effort did not take place. Nonetheless, Traktor still was able to extend the lead – Yakutsenya utilized the breakaway to perfection. Later on Popov and Kuznetsov both had breakaways too, but Pöpperle stood tall on both occasions. Soon enough though, Traktor sealed the deal with a fifth goal – Quint, Kuznetsov and Bulis constructed a perfect triangle combination, Bulis being the spearhead of the whole attack. Until the buzzer Kuznetsov had yet another breakaway, Traktor had yet another five-on-three power play, but the scoreboard didn’t undergo any changes. 5:2 – Traktor’s winning streak now amounts to four games.

Stats and details

Traktor (Chelyabinsk) vs. Lev (Praha) – 5:2 (2:2, 1:0, 2:0)

Goals:Řepík (Karamnov, Surový), 5 (0:1); Panov (Antipov, Suglobov), 10 (1:1); Christensen (Oystrick, Novotný), 11 (1:2); Kostitsyn, 16 (2:2); Antipov (Suglobov), 40 (3:2 – shorthanded); Yakutsenya (Razin), 50 (4:2); Bulis (Quint, Kuznetsov), 55 (5:2 – power play).

Penalty shots:Antipov, 23 (denied by goalkeeper).

Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Garnett;
Quint – Ryabykin (A), Chistov – Bulis – Kuznetsov,
Belov – Vaslichenko, Yakutsenya – Kontiola – Kostitsyn,
Razin – Katichev, Suglobov – Antipov (C) – Panov (A),
Nesterov – Shinin, Glinkin – Popov – Karpov.

Lev (Praha)
Pöpperle;
Sersen – Němec (A), Bartečko (A) – Juraj Mikúš – Klepiš,
Juraj Mikúš – Oystrick, Novotný (C) – Christensen – Voracek,
Picard – Porseland, Surový – Vrána – Řepík,
Pavlik, Svoboda – Karamnov – Cingel.

Penalty Minutes:6 (0+4+2) - 12 (2+2+8).
Shots:35 (12+11+12) - 42 (15+14+13).
Faceoffs Won:25 (9+6+10) - 38 (11+15+12).
Time on Ice:Ryabykin (24:12), Chistov (20:57), Quint (20:20) - Němec (24:15), Juraj Mikúš (D) (22:23), Oystrick (21:14).
Power Play Goals:1-0.

Referees:Rafael Kadyrov (Ufa), Yury Tsyplakov (Saint-Petersburg).
Linesmen:Dmitry Parfenov, Aleksandr Sysuyev (both – Ufa).

September 29, 2012, Traktor Arena, Chelybinsk, Russia. Attendance – 7500.